Sikhs In America

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 Timeline

The Sikh Tradition in America

1903 Indian Immigration to North America begins

Twenty Asian Indians immigrated to North America. In 1904, 258 entered followed by 145 in 1905. By 1906 about 600 had applied for entry to the U.S. from Vancouver. The vast majority of immigrants from India in this period were Sikhs from the Punjab.

1905 Sikh Workers on the Railroad

Sikhs worked on the Western Pacific Railway in Northern California. Two thousand Sikhs worked on a seven hundred mile road from Oakland to Salt Lake City. They were responsible for the construction of a large number of bridges and tunnels.

1907 Bellingham "Anti-Hindu" Riot

A mob of some 500 white lumberjacks attacked 250 Sikh mill workers in Bellingham, Washington, beating them and burning their belongings. Some Sikhs fled into Canada, where 400 were arrested. The press was sympathetic to the attackers. The Asiatic Exclusion League (AEL) was formed in 1907.

1907-10 Immigration through San Francisco

After 1907, immigration of Indians shifted to California, through the port at San Francisco. Though immigration of Asian Indians was not illegal, immigration officials scrutinized immigrants carefully, rejecting many on medical grounds. In 1910, 1,403 entered the U.S. through San Francisco.

1910-20 Sikh Farmers Settle in California

The Punjabi immigrants, most of them Sikh, but some Muslim, settled in the San Joachin Valley in central California and the Imperial Valley in southern California. Beginning as farm workers, some were successful enough to lease and then buy land.

1912 Khalsa Diwan Society

The Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society was established in Stockton, California. It provided support for Asian Indians facing discrimination in the U.S. and for those seeking to end British rule in India. The KDS was also the managing organization for the Stockton Gurdwara.

1912 Stockton: The First Gurdwara

The first gurdwara in the United States was established in Stockton, California. The “Sikh Temple” as it was called was built by an agriculturally based Sikh community. It was for over three decades the only Sikh worship facility in the U.S.

1913 Alien Land Law Passed

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 The California legislature passed the Alien Land Law, barring those ineligible for citizenship from leasing or owning land in California. After the 1923 Thind decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which established Asian Indians or “Hindus,” as ineligible, the Alien Land Law threatened the livelihood of many Sikh farmers. They lost their lands or had to find ways to transfer legal title to others.

1913-18 The Ghadar Party and Indian Freedom

The Ghadar Party was a movement of Indians in California dedicated to the overthrow of British rule in India. It was led at first by the Punjabi Hindu Har Dayal, based at Stanford University. Ghadar means “revolution” in Punjabi, and a few California Sikhs returned to India, hoping for an armed revolutionary upraising. It’s international activities led to the San Francisco “Hindu Conspiracy” trial in 1917-18.

1917 Immigration Act of 1917

Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917, called the “Barred Zone Act,” which barred immigration from certain areas, designated by longitudinal and latitudinal zone. India was included in the “barred zone.” Legal immigration came virtually to a halt for thirty years. By this time between 6000-7000 East Indian immigrants had come to the U.S.

1918 Hindustani Welfare and Reform Society

Founded in the Imperial Valley for mutual aid to farmers, its leaders were Ram Chand (a Hindu), Asa Singh (a Sikh), and Fazl Din (a Muslim).

1923 Bhagat Singh Thind Denied Citizenship.

Bhagat Singh Thind came to the United States in 1912 and served in the U.S. Army during World War I. A naturalized citizen, Thind's citizenship was revoked by the provisions of the 1917 act.

This rescinsion, upheld by the United States Supreme Court in 1923, had devastating consequences for Sikhs.

1920’s Sikhs in the Imperial Valley

By 1920 Sikhs leased more than 32,000 acres in Southern California’s Imperial Valley. These Sikh farmers, many of whom had been in Holtville or El Centro for a decade, were settled. Unable to bring wives from India. they chose to marry Mexican wives. A distinctive “Mexican-Sikh” population emerged.

1922 The Ghadar Party

The revived Ghadar Party, now dominated by Sikhs, continued to work for India’s independence until 1947. It also became a focus for Sikh community organization in the U.S.

1938 India League of America is established

Jagjit Singh became president of the newly formed India League of America. Sikhs fought for

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restoration of their right to U.S. citizenship.

1946 Congress Passes Immigration Quota Bill

The virtual exclusion of Asian Indians since the “barred-zone” act of 1917 ended on July 2, 1946 with the passage of the Luce-Celler Bill granting natives of India the right to American citizenship and an annual naturalization quota of one hundred. This act was passed largely through the efforts of Jagjit Singh and Anup Singh of the India League of America. The quota was so small that it did not appreciably increase the Sikh community, though it did help to rebuild Sikh family life.

1948 Gurdwara Opens in El Centro, California

Imperial Valley Sikhs had worshipped in homes for decades. They purchased the Japanese Buddhist Temple in El Centro in 1947, since few Japanese returned to El Centro after release from detention camps. In 1948, America’s second gurdwara opened.

1956 First Sikh Elected to Congress

Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian American to be elected to the U.S. Congress. Saund had come to the U.S. in the 1920’s to study at the University of California at Berkeley where he eventually earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics. He managed a farm in California and worked for the right of Asian Indians to become citizens. He served two terms in Congress.

1965 New Sikh Immigrants

The Immigration Act of 1965 gave preference to visa applicants whose skills were needed in the U.S., especially highly educated professionals. Thus the Sikhs entering the country after 1965 differed greatly from most of their predecessors. The Sikh community increased fourfold in the decade between 1965-75. By 1975, more than 8,000 Sikhs had become American citizens.

1966-69 New Gurdwaras for America

In these years, Sikhs organized to open gurdwaras. In many cities Sikhs began meeting in one another’s homes, renting space for festivals and programs, and finding an appropriate building or site for a gurdwara. The Sikh Study Circle in Los Angeles, the Sikh Center of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the New England Sikh Study Circle all began this way. In New York, Chicago, Detroit, Washington D.C., and Houston efforts were underway to establish gurdwaras.

1967 Sikh Foundation of Palo Alto California

This organization was formed for the purpose of disseminating knowledge about Sikh history, religion and culture. The Sikh Foundation hosts television and radio interviews and talk shows. They are active in book printing and distribution.

1968 Yogi Bhajan comes to America

Harbhajan Singh came to the U.S. and attracted American followers with Sikh teachings and yoga classes. He founded the Sikh Dharma Brotherhood in Los Angeles in 1968. The movement, known

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also as 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization) has over 120 yoga and meditation centers throughout the world.

1969 Yuba City Gurdwara is opened

A gurdwara opened in Yuba City, California, to serve the old-timers and the new immigrants in Sutter and Yuba Counties. The new gurdwara seats 2,000 in the main hall. Built by progressive Sikhs and equipped with folding chairs, it soon became dominated by newer more traditional immigrants. By 1974, the chairs were gone and within a few years two other gurdwaras were built in the area to accomodate the different styles.

1969 Richmond Hill Gurdwara

Sikhs who had been meeting in homes and rented sites since 1963 incorporated and purchased a former Methodist church building in the Richmond Hill section of Queens in New York City. It was converted to a gurdwara which opened in 1972.

1969 First Gurdwara in Los Angeles

To celebrate the 500th birthday of Guru Nanak in 1969, the Sikh Study Circle, opened the doors of L.A.’s first gurdwara on North Vermont Avenue.

1970’s Expansion of American Sikh Community

The decade of the 1970’s brought a dramatic increase in Indian immigration. The San Francisco Sikh community opened its first center and new gurdwaras were opened in Yuba City and Live Oak.

1973 Hindu-Jain-Sikh Temple

The Indian community of Pittsburgh shared space and the planning for a new temple for all three traditions in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. By 1981, the Sikh community had grown substantially and opened its own gurdwara, the first in Pittsburgh.

1978 The Sikh Council of North America

The Council was founded by professionals as a religious and socio-cultural organization to research Sikhism and to inspire interest among Sikh youth in Sikhism. It held a yearly conference in different parts of the United States at which each gurdwara was represented by at least one delegate. The organization ceased to exist in the mid 1980’s.

1979 First Sikh Parade, Yuba City

The first annual Sikh Parade in Yuba City commemorated Guru Gobind Singh’s enthronement of the Guru Granth Sahib. Punjabi dress, full beards, turbans and swords marked this public show of Sikh pride. More then thirty years later in 2001, forty thousand people attended the Sikh parade in

the wake of September 11th.

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1980's New Gurdwaras

The Sikh popuation built new gurdwaras in cities throughout the U.S., spreading in the New York and California areas and beyond. In this decade new gurdwaras were opened in Chicago (1980), Seattle (1982), North Carolina (1984), Long Island (1985), Bridgewater, New Jersey (1986), Glen Rock, New Jersey (1988) Oklahoma City ( ), and suburban Boston (1990).

1980 Peace Prayer Day

Yogi Bhajan continued his work with non-Punjabi Sikhs. In 1980, he established Peace Prayer Day in the mountains of New Mexico where people from many different religious traditions gathered to pray for peace. This gathering is now held annually at the time of the summer solstice.

1984 Attack on the Golden Temple

Indian troops attack the Darbar Sahib, the "Golden Temple," the Sikh holy shrine, in an attempt to rout a group of separatists under the leadership of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. This attack touched off a wave of anti-government sentiment among Sikhs in India and abroad. Sikhs in the U.S. were outraged, and protested publicly.

1984 The World Sikh Organization

The W.S.O. was established in the U.S. in the wake of the incident in Amritsar. It is concerned with the social, political, religious and human rights of Sikhs and marks the increasing visibility of Sikhs in the West. The newspaper, World Sikh News, based in Stockton, California was started.

1985-1990 University Conferences on Sikhism

By the mid-1980’s, Sikhs formed a community of more than 150,0000 in the U.S. Conferences co- sponsored by the Sikh community and major universities were held at the University of Michigan (1986), the University of Toronto (1987), and Columbia University (1989).

1987 Kirpan Case in New York

The kirpan, or short sword, must be worn by all initiated Sikhs. Partap Singh of New York was arrested while traveling by subway in New York because he is wearing the kirpan. The court dismissed the case after learning that it was a religious custom.

1988 First Sikh Day Parade, New York

Held in April near the time of Baisakhi, the parade includes the Khalsa in full dress, Panj Pyaras, and floats --one of them bearing the Guru Granth Sahib.

1990-1 Sikhs Harassed During Gulf War.

Sikhs, with their turbans and beards were sometimes mistaken for Muslims by Americans. There were attacks on some Sikh gurdwaras, which were defaced with graffiti and had their windows broken.

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 1990’s Stabilization of Sikh population

As the U.S. Sikh population continues to spread out geographically, gurdwaras have opened in New Orleans (1990), Orange County (1991) and Atlanta (1991). Sikhs continue to find ways to strengthen their cultural and religious traditions and to transmit them to their children.

1994 Court Permits Kirpan in School

When the Livingston, California Union School District prohibited three Sikh children from wearing the kirpan to school because of a ruling barring the possession of knives, the case was taken to the courts. The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in August that the children could wear the kirpan.

1995 California School System Teaches Punjabi

Yuba City High School and Live Oak High School implemented Punjabi language programs due to the efforts of Sikhs in the area. Hardial Singh Dulay chairs two Punjabi language panels in the Yuba City school district.

1996 Founding of Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force

The civil rights group Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) was founded. The group vowed to make it their mission “to empower Sikh Americans through advocacy, education and media relations”. In November of 2004, SMART changed their name to the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF). SALDEF was the first organization of its kind in America.

1998 Founding of Sikh Council on Religion and Education

The Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) was founded with the mission “to represent the Sikh viewpoint in public forums, interfaith discussions and throughout governmental agencies to promote community understanding and a just society for all”. SCORE is based in Washington D.C.

1999 300th Anniversary of the Khalsa Celebration in California

Over ten thousand Sikhs celebrated the three hundredth anniversary of the Khalsa, the Sikh community of those who have undergone initiation, in April with a parade in Los Angles. Similar celebrations took place across the United States.

1999 Kirpan Related Arrest of Sikh Priest, Gurbachan Singh Bhatia

In September, Gurbachan Singh Bhatia, the first Sikh priest in Northern Ohio, was arrested for carrying a Kirpan, a small sword, which is a very important religious symbol in the Sikh tradition. This was the not the first Kirpan related arrest to occur in America nor was it the last. Since Bhatia’s arrest, countless numbers of Sikhs have been arrested for carrying a Kirpan. At least twenty of these Sikhs have been represented by the Sikh Coalition and have successfully had the charges lifted against them or have had their cases dismissed.

2001 Aftermath of 9/11

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 After the tragic events of September 11th, Sikhs across America found themselves the victims of

hate crimes. For example between September 11th and September 17th, the website sikhnet.com, reported a hundred and thirty-three cases of hate crimes and harassment against Sikhs. Sikhs all over America became singled out in the workplace as well as in airports due to their appearance. In an effort to address these hate crimes, President George W. Bush invited Sikh Community Leaders

to the White House on September 26th.

2001 Murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi

In Arizona, four days after the tragic events of September 11th, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh gas station owner, was shot by Frank Roque, who thought Sodhi was a Muslim. Less than a year later, Sodhi’s younger brother Sukhpal was shot while driving his cab in San Francisco. In 2003, Roque was given the death penalty, however in 2006, this sentence was changed to the lesser sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole due to Roque’s mental illness and low IQ.

2001 Founding of Sikh Coalition

Following the attacks on three Sikhs in Richmond Hill, Queens on the night of September 11th, a volunteer organization calling themselves Coalition of Sikh Organizations of New York formed and issued a press release addressing the attacks. In October they officially became the Sikh Coalition with the mission to “work towards a world where Sikhs may freely practice and enjoy their faith while fostering strong relations with their local community wherever they may be."

2002 Fire at Richmond Hill Gurdwara

In March, the oldest gurdwara on the East Coast, the Richmond Hill Gurdwara in Queens, New York, was destroyed by a massive fire. Although many originally thought the cause of the fire was

arson due to the backlash against Sikhs after September 11th, the cause of the fire was found out to be gas leak ignited by a pilot fire. Seven people were injured and one person was killed in the fire. In 2004, members of the Richmond Hill Gurdwara participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new gurdwara.

2002 Amric Singh Rathour Fired by NYPD because of Turban & Beard

Amric Singh Rathour was fired by the New York Police Department (NYPD) for refusing to remove his beard and his turban, both of which are required by the Sikh religion. In 2003, Rathour along with the Sikh Coalition filed a federal lawsuit with NYPD. A year later in 2004, Rathour was given his job back. Many similar cases involving the right for Sikhs to wear their turbans and have beards

occurred in the aftermath of September 11th.

2002 Opening of Gurdwara Khalsa Darbar in New Jersey

In December, the Sikh community of South New Jersey opened the new Gurdwara Khalsa Darbar in Burlington, New Jersey in a celebration that lasted two days. The new gurdwara was built to serve the community, which is made up of more than one hundred members.

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 2004 Sikhs Run For Office

Dr. Chirinjeev Singh Kathuria, a successful Sikh American businessman, became the first Sikh to run for U.S. Senate. Dr. Kathruia was a U.S. Senate candidate in the Illinois Republican primary. Nikki Randhawa Haley, an American of Sikh event, ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives and won. In May of 2010, Haley announced she would run for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Carolina. This caused a bit of controversy when her opponent Andre Bauer remarked, "We've already got a raghead in the White House, we don't need another raghead in the governor's mansion," deliberately attacking Haley’s Sikh heritage.

2004 Opening of Guru Nanak Sikh Center in Michigan

In January, the Guru Nanak Sikh Center opened in Lansing, Michigan. The center, which was formerly the New Mount Calvary Baptist Church, serves about one hundred Sikhs living in the area.

2004 Vaisakhi Day Proclaimed in New Jersey

New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey, proclaimed April 14th to be Vaisakhi Day, in honor of the ancient Sikh harvest festival and the Sikh American community in New Jersey.

2005 Opening of Guru Gobind Singh Foundation Gurdwara in Maryland

The new Guru Gobind Singh Foundation Gurdwara opened in October in Rockville, Maryland. The Guru Gobind Singh Foundation was founded in 1985 and its leadership was the first ever Sikh representation to be invited to the White House in 1993.

2009 Inauguration National Prayer Service of President Barack Obama

Dr. Rajwant Singh, Chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education was invited to and attended the customary National prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, the day after the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January.

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